Chapter 65

Tessa’s POV

My heart stopped beating.

Jolene didn’t look phased, but she did smile politely at me.

“It’s so very nice to meet you, sweetheart,” she said. “What can I get you for food?”

I was at a loss for words. I looked at Joseph who only had an amused look on his face. He was holding back a laugh. He was doing this on purpose to make me squirm.

But why?

What was the purpose of that??

I didn’t even realize that Jolene was talking to me until Joseph cleared his throat loudly, momentarily bringing me out of that trance.

I looked up at her, trying to fixate my eyes on her face.

“What are you ordering?” She asked again.

Oh, right… I needed to order.

Though, I wasn’t so sure I’d be able to stomach anything right now. I was starving, but that hunger quickly went away as soon as those words left Joseph’s mouth.

His girlfriend.

What the hell was he thinking?

If word got around school about that, he could kiss his career goodbye. I could kiss my reputation goodbye as well.

Not that I had much of a reputation anymore… but still.

“A burger with bacon,” I blurted out after what felt like an eternity of silence. “And fries,” I added.

“How would you like the burger cooked?”

“Medium rare,” I answered keeping my eyes on Josephs.

“Okay, I’ll get that to you,” Jolene said, grabbing our menus and disappearing into the back.

After she was gone, I snarled at Joseph.

“What the hell is wrong with you??” I hissed. “Are you insane???”

“Why do you ask?” He asked, peering at me with a look of amusement.

“You told her I was your girlfriend,” I said, still mortified. “Word could get around.”

“It won’t.”

“Why would you even think to do that, Joseph?” I asked, on the verge of tears.

“I wanted you to see that nothing bad is going to happen here. I promise, Tessa. That information is never going to leave this place,” he reassured me.

“We can’t be sure of that,” I told him firmly. “If someone finds out what you said it’ll destroy your career. Not to mention my entire reputation. I can kiss my dreams goodbye and—”

“Hey, Jolene… come here for a minute,” Joseph hollered to Jolene who was speaking with a coworker across the establishment.

She glanced at him and said something to her coworker before coming to our table. I felt my face flaring with heat.

He looked at her intently and she caught his eyes, studying them for a short while as he took her in. I felt the knot tightening in the pit of my stomach, making me feel sick.

“Forget what I said about Tessa being my girlfriend. That conversation never happened,” he said to her in a calm voice.

I watched as her pupils enlarged at his words and then they instantly went back to normal. She blinked a few times and appeared to be confused.

“Can I get you something?” She asked, staring between the two of us.

“Just our order, Jolene. Thank you.”

“Right away,” she said, turning away and walking toward the kitchen.

Joseph met my eyes, and I realized my mouth was unattractively hanging open.

“Better?” He asked, stifling a smile.

I pressed my lips firmly together.

“Your abilities work that easily and quickly?” I asked.

He nodded.

“I was going to let you sweat for the rest of dinner and do that before we left. But I didn’t think you’d eat unless I did something soon,” he teased.

“I’m sorry—”

“If this arrangement of ours is going to work, I need you to trust me,” he said calmly. “You should know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you or jeopardize your future.”

“I shouldn’t have assumed that. You are right; I’m sorry…” I said, staring down at my hands. I was incredibly embarrassed. I wasn’t sure what more to say but thankfully Jolene returned to the table with our food.

Joseph got a steak salad and it admittedly looked tasty. But not as good as this bacon burger. My mouth was completely watering as she placed it in front of me.

“Can I get you anything else?” Joelene asked, staring between the two of us.

“No, Jolene. Thank you,” Joseph said with a polite smile in return before turning away.

I sunk my teeth into the delicious burger, my hunger coming back immediately. I ate quickly and I ate every bite on the plate. At one point, Joseph stared at me with a questionable, and curious look in his eyes.

“What?” I asked him with a mouthful of burger.

“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head and taking a bite of his own food. “You are just an interesting girl.”

This time, a small smile appeared on his lips, and he looked at me almost fondly before grabbing his fork and beginning to eat. I stared at him, confused, for a moment longer, before I continued eating.

The food was delicious; I didn’t even care that I looked like a pig shoving it in my mouth.

Once we were finished, Joseph paid the bill, and we left right away. I was growing tired, and I wanted to update my blog one last time before I went to bed for the night.

“Thank you for dinner,” I said to him as we got back to the villa.

“Of course,” he said in return.

I followed him inside and I couldn’t help the yawn that escaped my lips He turned to me and frowned.

“You should get some sleep,” he said slowly. “You have to be up early for school tomorrow. You have my class tomorrow night, don’t forget.”

I nodded.

“How could I forget? It’s the class my boyfriend is teaching,” I teased, still annoyed that he said that to Jolene back at the restaurant but glad he used his abitlies to reverse that.

He smirked.

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at him.

However, as I walked up the stairs and toward my room, I had a chilling thought that if I kept pushing him like this, one day, he was going to kill me.

…

Joseph’s POV

Tessa was a strange one. I never met a human female who could eat like her. Most females I’ve met only care about their figures, and they try to eat less food, even if they are really hungry. But Tessa wasn’t like them.

She was like a bottomless pit, continuously eating and eating the unhealthiest foods I had ever seen. She eats pop-tarts for breakfast, which is nothing but sugar. That can’t seriously give her any energy in the morning.

All that bacon she ate this evening with that huge burger. Not to mention eating every single fry and guzzling down that sprite like it was nothing. It was amazing to watch her like that and I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off her.

She was like a human trash can. The only thing was, I had no idea where she was putting it. She was still very thin. Her figure remained intact.

It was incredible to me.

She caught me watching her more than once and I came up with an excuse for her several times. Excuses she bought right away.

I knew calling her my girlfriend to Jolene would get a rise out of her.

I just wanted to tease Tessa a little and loosen her up. However, it made her more on edge and she was angry with me.

It upset me that she was mad at me for some reason. Even when we returned to the villa, she still seemed a bit standoffish.

She was exhausted, I could tell, but I told her that she should go and sleep in her room.

She gave me a strange look before leaving the room. I expected her to argue with me, but she went willingly.

I sighed and went back to my office, sitting at my desk, I stared at my computer screen.

Tessa would most likely be updating her blog before she goes to bed. Once she does, I would be the first to read it.

What a strange effect she has on me. Because of my attraction to her blood, I found myself drawn to her. Her scent alone was driving me crazy.

I knew nothing would happen to her in that restaurant. I would kill anyone who came near her. That was a promise.

The thought of anything happening to her hurt my very heart, which also made me realize that Tessa might mean more to me than I initially thought.

Or maybe it was her blood.

The only thing I could think of doing was taking a step back.

Though I made that joke about girlfriend, deep down I didn’t want her to be with me.

An iridescent girl like Tessa shouldn’t have more involvement with a cold and boring vampire like me.